Brooklyn Rivera, an Indigenous leader and activist, has passed away at the age of 73 while in Nicaraguan state custody, sparking widespread outrage and skepticism from rights advocates. The Nicaraguan government attributed his death to a bacterial infection following a COVID-19 bout, but this explanation has been met with skepticism and criticism.
Rivera's death comes amidst growing concerns about his well-being. He had been held in state detention since September 2023, without contact with the outside world, and his family was barred from seeing him. The Ministry of the Interior's confirmation of his detention and the publication of photos showing him intubated in a hospital sparked a new wave of condemnation and calls for his freedom.
The United States, in a statement, demanded his unconditional release and blamed Nicaragua's leaders for his cruel treatment. This repression, violence, and inhumanity are abhorrent, the US State Department wrote, reiterating their call for his and all political prisoners' unconditional release.
Rivera was a prominent figure in the fight against the country's first Sandinista government from 1979 to 1990, serving as the leader of the Misurasata armed group. He was also a vocal critic of Ortega's left-wing Sandinista government, advocating for the protection of his people's ancestral lands along Nicaragua's northeast coast. The territory has faced pressure from government and business interests seeking to exploit its rich deposits of gold, silver, and other resources.
In his last years of freedom, Rivera continued to speak out against the government. He traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to address a UN forum on Indigenous peoples in April 2023, delivering remarks critical of Nicaragua. After his return, he was banned from re-entering the country and lived in hiding until his arrest in September 2023. The government charged him with alleged terrorism, but critics said his arrest amounted to the silencing of the Indigenous leader.
Rivera's death has raised questions about the conditions of his detention and the role of the Nicaraguan government. Critics have expressed skepticism and outrage, with Reed Brody, a member of the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, stating that the cause of death would be that he was in government custody in conditions of enforced disappearance for over two years, denied independent medical oversight.
This incident highlights the ongoing concerns about human rights abuses in Nicaragua under the rule of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. Dissidents have faced arrest, imprisonment, torture, exile, and the revocation of their citizenship under their leadership. The death of Brooklyn Rivera serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Indigenous leaders and activists in Nicaragua and the need for continued advocacy and support for their rights and freedoms.
